Munster Team Talk Thread - Beirne After Reading

Must love hardship

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118917638#Comment_118917638

Yeah maybe not an option but he was interviewed last time there was a vacancy in munster.

I wonder would Paul Gustard be interested? Would know each other from Leicester playing days. He is with Benneton after leaving Harlequins and could be a decent opportunity to get back competing at Champions cup level again.

Id agree. It would be great to get an Irish coach back from abroad but not necessarily a munster coach..

TRC10

Rowntree being announced as head coach seemed inevitable to be honest.

Who Munster get in as attack coach is the more important appointment IMO.

Red Silurian

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118915707#Comment_118915707

Yes, I made that comment shortly before the start of this season, the game referenced was Munster V Scarlett's, late February 2020. Do you remember how many people you saw there?

Red Silurian

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118918016#Comment_118918016

A passing coach would be a good step forward... Or backwards depending on what way you look at it

Caranica

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118918298#Comment_118918298

29 February 2020 the night the first Covid case in Ireland was announced. I was there and there were a couple of thousand people there, it wasn't packed for sure but there were a hell of a lot more people there than you are claiming.

Edited to add extract from WT View's game blog. And the reason for the poor attendance. Nothing to do with Munster.

Akrasia

I think Rowntree will be a good appointment.

He's a very different character to JVG who has the public persona of a wet blanket and doesn't come across as the kind of fellah who can set a fire under players to inspire big performances

Rowntree, from his press conferences and the way we've seen him talk to the players at half time comes across as the kind of fella who doesn't take any sh1t or excuses, and he seems like he would be able to make the tough calls to drop players and replace them if they are not performing whether in a game, or in a run of games.

He definitely wants the gig, and he is not just here for the money to make a name for himself. That alone, is a big benefit as Munster fans and the Munster team have suffered from a bit of an identity crisis recently, now that we are seeing some incredibly promising young players coming through the Munster development system, we need to back the province to be the core of our team who will be the next great generation of Munster champions.

There are some good vibes coming through the grapevine about who the rest of the coaching ticket will be. I look forward to some more announcements this week and into next week.

I hope the announcement will give the team the lift they need to stay in Europe with a strong performance this weekend

cuttingtimber22

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118918726#Comment_118918726

I am hopeful but not yet optimistic. Let’s hope he is a lucky general. But I think the continuity will be good as we reach the end of season - players will be playing for their new coach and I loved the anger and passion he brought to the dressing room at half time last weekend. Was great to see.

aloooof

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118918298#Comment_118918298

Oh, I'd say about 13,554.

Facetiousness aside, that comment was made when the crowd size limit was set to 500, and you were insinuating we'd typically be well inside that. It's nonsense.

Red Silurian

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118920193#Comment_118920193

For what game was our crowd limit set to 500? I remember limits such as 50% capacity (first 2 games of this season) 75% capacity (Connacht) and 5,000 (December/January) but as far as I am aware it was zero since between March 2020 and last September

In any case that's a well hidden 13,554 people. Could it have included season ticket holders who only go to European games possibly? As Caranica suggests below perhaps I am under reporting the numbers but there's no way your figure is accurate

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118918504#Comment_118918504

lawrencesummers

Exeter had a full deck and home advantage.

Munster had injuries, players coming back from injury, late changes, made some terrible mistakes in attack and were only 5 points behind.

Im looking forward to saturday and 100% think munster will win by 10-12 points.

aloooof

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118920387#Comment_118920387

Yep, it definitely included season ticket holders that didn't attend, as is fairly well understood. The actual attendance was still orders of magnitude higher than 100 people you were suggesting we routinely get.

budhabob

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118917710#Comment_118917710

I see from an Interview this morning that Rowntree sees the structure similar to now with no DOR in place

Red Silurian

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118920601#Comment_118920601

Ok so how many were there? I don't expect you to count them all individually but roughly from your observations on the day?

aloooof

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118920804#Comment_118920804

Comfortably a couple thousand. You're at least out by a factor of 20, and that's probably being generous. But the larger point is, you were speaking more generally about our attendances going forward, not just that Scarlets game.

And if you really did think our attendances are typically only around 100, you must be delighted with our attendances this season??

cadaliac

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118913875#Comment_118913875

Interesting point about the "I don't want to be the one who messes up".

Was speaking to a S&C coach a good while back who was working with Leinster. He maintained that Lancaster wanted "chaos" on the pitch and for the player to deal with that situation, as it arose.

Completely different to what seems to be happening with us, or Ireland at the time until Schmidt left.

awec

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118917340#Comment_118917340

McFarland had never been a head coach before Ulster and we also have no DoR, so it can work.

We were also in a bit of a mess when he joined.

Red Silurian

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118921174#Comment_118921174

Good point, when speaking about general attendances one game shouldn't be used as a benchmark

Yes I am delighted with the current season attendances, I think the lowest attended game so far has been Musgrave which was definitely more than 75% full. I didn't look at the official attendance figure, it's probably skewed anyway, going by my recollection of the east/west being nearly full and a few heads in North/South

Must love hardship

Is Earls finishing up at the end of the season? Or is he re-signed?

Caranica

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118924828#Comment_118924828

Nobody knows

arsebiscuits1

Munster should be looking at bringing in Noel McNamara.

Strong coaching pedigree and is doing good things with the Sharks who are sitting in a very good place in the URC table.

He'd be able to get the best out of a lot of players. Excellent young coach.

Having said that I assume Leinster are losing Felipe to Argentina so I'd be wanting Noel to take over for him too

Caranica

As far as I know McNamara to Leinster is a done deal

Eod100

Great that Holland and O'Donnell will get recognition on Saturday. https://twitter.com/Munsterrugby/status/1514600446999949317?t=7cJNga8MK8AzdL46hFf2kA&s=19

Must love hardship

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118924891#Comment_118924891

No problem just half heard something he said to off the ball yesterday and wasn't sure if he was staying or going

Cookiemunster

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118926928#Comment_118926928

He was very cryptic, but he didn't sound like a man ready to retire.

Must love hardship

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118926969#Comment_118926969

Exactly.. in one way you'd nearly be sure he was going and in another breath he Was saying the body is 100% ready to go again.

Poorside

Had heard very early this season that he was going to retire, maybe the injury layoff during the 6 nations has given him another season.

phog

Billy Holland & Tommy O'Donnell who retired during Covid are are being presented to the crowd on Saturday.

Delighted we're getting the opportunity to say thanks to them.

jimdemp

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118918016#Comment_118918016

Van Gran has really left Munster in a hard position. It looks like the IRFU could not find anyone to take on the job at the current time and ended up with Rowntree. If the announced was delayed to take pressure off him and he has been running things for the last 2 months i wouldnt be too excited by his appointment.

CONSI

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118928981#Comment_118928981

Nothing to say Rowntree has been running things the last 2 months so lets give him a chance before we start criticizing him. Let him get his backroom team in place and we go again from there. Now he may very well have started having informal conversations with players, both tenured and up and coming about his vision and I'd have no problem with that but I think its clear to see this is still Van Gran ball we are playing and I'm willing to give Rowntree the benefit of the doubt until he has actually taken over

Eod100

Mike Haley; Keith Earls, Chris Farrell, Damian de Allende, Simon Zebo; Joey Carbery, Conor Murray; Josh Wycherley, Niall Scannell, John Ryan; Jean Kleyn, Fineen Wycherley; Peter O’Mahony (C), John Hodnett, Jack O’Donoghue.

Replacements: Diarmuid Barron, Jeremy Loughman, Stephen Archer, Jason Jenkins, Thomas Ahern, Craig Casey, Ben Healy, Alex Kendellen.